KARACHI, July 19: Pakistan is fully capable of safeguarding its geographical and ideological boundaries and is determined to meet its defence requirements, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Ehsanul Haq, said on Tuesday. He was speaking at the induction ceremony of three hovercraft and three military assault boats.

He said a significant strength in the offensive punch of the navy had been achieved with the induction. He said the navy was now not only capable of operating deep inside the creek areas up to Sir Creek but also around the coastal belt of Balochistan.

He said that in the prevalent international environment the armed forces must not only be prepared to deter and defeat any aggression but also effectively safeguard the frontiers in peace time to protect the country’s natural resources, thwart any clandestine incursions into its territories and effectively enforce the writ of the state.

He said strength and readiness of the armed forces was the best guarantee of peace.

“While striving for peace, we cannot be oblivious to any attempts at domination or hegemony and our maritime capability has to cope with this challenge,” he said.

Appreciating the role of Pak Marines, the general said that during a short span of time, the force had achieved the highest level of competence and he hoped that by virtue of its potential to grow, it would make very significant development in times ahead.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Shahid Karimullah said the government was cognizant of the needs of the navy and a good proportion of the defence budget was being diverted towards meeting its operational requirements.

He said the F-22P frigates, the submarine construction programme and acquisition of the hovercrafts and the military assault boats (MAB) were part of the policy.

In his welcome address, Commander Coast Rear Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Rao said that in order to increase mobility of Pak Marines, a contract to procure four hovercrafts was signed with United Kingdom and Thailand-based firms.

He recalled that one hovercraft and one MAB had already been inducted.

Highlighting salient features of the newly inducted platform, he said the hovercraft were specially designed for undertaking operations over water, land, mud flats, sand bars and in shallow water with equal ease.